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Ashes, Ashes
When the fire is quenched, nothing but ashes will remain... ThunderClan ShadowClan RiverClan A/N- This is my take on what would have happened if Firepaw died on the journey with Bluestar to the Moonstone in Into the Wild. I'm going for something similar in feel to the actual series. Sandstorm stood at the edge of Fourtrees with the rest of ThunderClan. Her apprentice's eyes sparkled with excitement, but she was silent with awe. Sandstorm remembered how she had felt when Whitestorm had first taken her to a Gathering with a nostalgic twitch of her whiskers- she had also been awed by the sheer number of cats, all of them seemingly huge and distant as Highstones. Sandstorm settled next to Dustpelt as she watched Cinderpaw boldly pad up to a group of RiverClan apprentices. The stunned silence certainly hadn't lasted long. A yowl from the Great Rock ended the chatter. "Cats of the clans!" shouted Brokenstar commandingly, as soon as there was quiet. "ShadowClan asks again that you listen to our requests for hunting rights. With the bitter leaf-bare beginning, our kits will starve unless we can find extra prey." "And how are you different from any other Clan?" demanded Bluestar. "Every Clan has sickness and hunger in leaf-bare, and every Clan has lost kits, elders, even warriors." "You have asked for hunting rights since greenleaf," added Crookedstar. "Every time, we have pointed out that it is against the warrior code, which ShadowClan seems to have completely forgotten." The huge tabby ignored hisses and unsheathed claws from ShadowClan. "Are you prepared to defend that position?" snarled Brokenstar. "With my nine lives," meowed Crookedstar firmly. "And every one of my warriors will as well." Sandstorm noticed uneasy murmuring among the crowd. "Crookedstar, Brokenstar," mewed Bluestar warningly, "remember that there is a truce here for as long as the moon is full. In more peaceful news, ThunderClan has three new apprentices: Swiftpaw, Cinderpaw, and Brackenpaw." Cinderpaw straightened up proudly under the gazes of the Clans, while her brother looked at his paws. Sandstorm couldn't see Swiftpaw from where she was sitting, but she was certain that Goldenflower would be glowing with pride for her son. "We also have new warriors: Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Graystripe." Now it was Sandstorm's turn to meet the stares of the cats at the Gathering as they burned into her fur. Having nothing else to report, Bluestar turned her icy gaze on Crookedstar. "RiverClan is well. Prey is running, none of our cats are ill- we have nothing to report." With that, the Gathering ended. Sandstorm awoke to a paw prodding her ribs. "Tigerclaw wants you for the dawn patrol," mewed Runningwind. "Thanks," mumbled Sandstorm, still sleepy from the Gathering. She knew before she even poked her head in the apprentices' den that Cinderpaw would be overjoyed at going on patrol. "Will we get to fight off ShadowClan warriors?" asked the fluffy gray she-cat. "Maybe," mewed Sandstorm noncommittally. "But you'll have to stay with the rest of the patrol. A scrap like you would only last a couple heartbeats against a warrior like Clawface." If Cinderpaw heard her mentor, she gave no sign. The five cats set out for the ShadowClan border, following a stream near the camp. Sandstorm noticed a dull look in Graystripe's eyes and fell back to walk alongside him. "You okay?" "Firepaw and I always hunted here..." He didn't have to finish. Sandstorm pressed against him in an attempt at comfort. She tried to imagine what would happen if Dustpelt died, but she couldn't. "Are you two going to stand there all day?" called Longtail from the Owl Tree. Cinderpaw and Swiftpaw simply stared. Slightly embarrassed, Sandstorm hurried to catch up. As they passed it, Cinderpaw stared with wide blue eyes at the enormous old oak. "Is there really an owl living there?" she asked. "Has it been the same owl forever?" Sandstorm gave the inquisitive apprentice a playful cuff to the ear. "There is an owl there, but I doubt it lives forever." "Does it ever eat cats?" "Oh, yeah- it just loves to take little apprentices who ask too many questions and carry them off to a big old tree in ShadowClan territory and-" "Sandstorm," mewed Longtail warningly, but with a playful glitter in his eyes. "No scaring the apprentices." Sandstorm purred a bit, but stopped in her tracks not far from the Thunderpath. "Graystripe, Longtail, come here." A broken branch with dark brown fur caught in it, smelling of ShadowClan. The other warriors rushed to Sandstorm's side, with the apprentices close behind. Graystripe simply looked horrified, while Longtail's eyes burned grimly. "The scent around here is too strong for one cat. It's an invasion," he growled. The air around the patrol grew noticeably quieter. Cinderpaw was too terrified to speak. She had heard the warriors talking about how WindClan had been driven out. "How many patrols did Tigerclaw send out?" Sandstorm asked Longtail in a rough, low voice. "I don't know, but he did send out a bunch of hunting patrols, he said we needed to prepare for leaf-bare-" The ginger she-cat bolted back the way they had come, back to the camp. Swiftpaw followed her determinedly, with the other cats close behind. Cinderpaw cursed how short her legs were. Great StarClan, please don't let us find the camp undefended... she pleaded silently, remembering Sandstorm's words. A scrap like you would only last a couple of heartbeats against a warrior like Clawface. Caterwauls of fear, pain, and rage came from the ravine. The cats burst through the gorse tunnel to find the camp seemingly filled with huge, bloodthirsty ShadowClan warriors. Cinderpaw tried to dodge the hostile warriors as she searched for Brackenpaw, Dustpelt, Thornkit, Brightkit, any familiar face. A sudden yowl of agony from the Highrock had her racing for the end of the ravine. Bluestar! She stopped at the entrance to the leader's den in horror. The scent of blood was everywhere, but none of ShadowClan. Cinderpaw nervously stuck her head through the lichen curtain to see Tigerclaw standing over Bluestar's perfectly still, blood-covered body. Cinderpaw's mind was a whirl of shock and confusion and questions. She was dragged back into reality as a small tabby tom leaped on her shoulders and pinned her down. She rolled over and clawed at his belly while she wriggled away and ran to the nursery. She had to protect her littermates and her mother. Suddenly, as though they had reached some goal, the ShadowClan warriors gave triumphant yowls and ran away with tails held high. The rest of the Clan looked as shell-shocked as Cinderpaw felt. The few cats in the camp stumbled out into the open, some with the body of a Clanmate with them. Brindleface carried Speckletail's body, while Halftail and One-eye dragged Dappletail into the center of the clearing. Finally, Tigerclaw bore Bluestar's body out of her den. He did a good job of acting shocked and broken, as though he hadn't killed her with his own paws. Seeing their fallen leader hurt the cats even more than the wounds they'd received. "When I heard yowling from Bluestar's den, I came as fast as I could, but it was too late- Blackfoot had already killed her," meowed Tigerstar, voice breaking. Cinderpaw's fur bristled and she dug her claws into the ground with fury. LIAR! she yowled silently. "I will travel to the Moonstone tonight to receive my nine lives," continued Tigerclaw. "Bluestar was a truly great leader, and her loss will be felt for many moons." All of ThunderClan gathered to say goodbye to their leader. As Cinderpaw pressed her nose into Bluestar's cold gray fur, she promised that she'd reveal the truth of the noble leader's death. Sandstorm padded softly into the apprentices' den, where Cinderpaw was curled up in her nest, stone silent and wide awake. She seemed to have taken Bluestar's death harder than anyone, aside from Whitestorm, who mentioned that she had been like a mother to him after Snowfur died. "Cinderpaw, Tigerclaw's going to the Moonstone. I think that we should go with him, along with Dustpelt and Brackenfur. You do have to go before you become a warrior." Cinderpaw was silent for a few more heartbeats. "Okay, Sandstorm," she mewed quietly without moving a muscle. The apprentice slowly got up from her nest. "We'll be going to Spottedleaf first, for travelling herbs," Sandstorm told Cinderpaw. She padded softly off in the direction of the fern tunnel, saying nothing. It was the calm, silent obedience that worried Sandstorm as much as anything. Where had the exuberant, inquisitive, infuriatingly independent Cinderpaw gone? Spottedleaf already had two piles of dark green leaves ready at her paws, and, judging by the faces Brackenpaw was pulling, the apprentice and his mentor had eaten theirs. "Yuck!" choked Cinderpaw as she ate the herbs. "I bet rats taste better than this!" "It's still better than eating prey- they'll keep you strong for the journey longer than a mouse would," mewed Dustpelt. Sandstorm was just glad for the echo of the normal Cinderpaw. Tigerclaw stepped into the clearing, eyes glinting with determination. "Are you ready to go to the Moonstone with me?" he asked gruffly. Dustpelt and Sandstorm nodded. "Then we should be off- we have no time to waste." He bounded out through the gorse tunnel, leaving the four cats struggling to keep up. Before long, they had passed Fourtrees and entered the eerily deserted moor. "Is this where WindClan used to live?" asked Brackenpaw. "Yep," mewed Dustpelt tersely. "It's so open," breathed Brackenpaw. "I don't see how they stood it." It was much more open than ThunderClan territory. The leaf-fall breeze cut through Sandstorm's pelt with icy claws while the remnants of greenleaf sunshine made her back itch. The wind brought only stale scents of the clan that had once made this place their home, with fresher scents of ShadowClan hunting patrols and rabbits that they chased. They reached a Thunderpath as the sun began to slide downward in the sky. Huge monsters raced across acrid black stone, powerful enough to kill a cat with their paws. "Dustpelt, you go first," ordered Tigerclaw. "Show the apprentices how to do it." Dustpelt's fur bristled a bit as he nodded and waited for a lull in passing monsters. He narrowed his green eyes and bolted across the path. Suddenly, a huge yellow monster barrelled along the Thunderpath, heading straight for Dustpelt. Sandstorm's heart lurched as the fumes stung her eyes. Had be been hit? As the monster passed, she breathed a sigh of relief- Dustpelt was standing on the oily grass at the other side of the path, breathing hard and with every hair standing on end, but none the worse for wear. The rest of the group followed him into the fields on the other side, resting under a hedgerow for a bit. They finally reached Highstones as the sun began to flirt with the stony mountaintops and the stars solidified into points of light. "You wait out here," meowed Tigerstar. "I must share dreams with StarClan alone." So they waited outside Mothermouth in the fading light, fidgeting nervously. Cinderpaw rested her head miserably on her paws, eyes a jumble of emotions. Sandstorm finally decided to ask her about what had happened. "Cinderpaw, what's wrong?" she demanded. "Well, it was her first battle," said Dustpelt. "And not many apprentices' first battles end with a leader dead." "It's not just that," mumbled Cinderpaw. "Then what is it? I'm your mentor- you don't need to keep secrets from me!" The gray she-cat sighed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," she mewed, burying her face in her paws. "You won't know that until you tell us, now will you?" meowed Dustpelt. Another tortured sigh from Cinderpaw. She set her head back down on her paws, facing away from the others. "At the battle. You know how Tigerclaw said Blackfoot killed Bluestar?" The cats mewed in acknowledgement. "He lied. Tigerclaw was the one who killed Bluestar." Disbelieving meows from Dustpelt, Sandstorm, even Brackenpaw. Cinderpaw had thought that her own brother, of all of them, would believe her. "You're sure?" asked Sandstorm. "It's a battle, things are confusing-" "I know what I see and smell. It was Tigerclaw." "Now does he know what you saw?" asked Dustpelt. Cinderpaw shrugged. Dustpelt sighed. "I still don't think he did it," he mewed. "The Tigerclaw I know is a great, noble warrior, not one who would stoop to murder." There was an uneasy silence until Tigerclaw emerged from Mothermouth, now Tigerstar. "What did StarClan tell you?" asked Sandstorm amiably enough. "There is a traitor in our midst," meowed the new leader gruffly. The ginger warrior looked uneasily at her apprentice. But surely her own mentor didn't think she was a liar, a traitor to ThunderClan? Cinderpaw was dead on her feet by the time they returned, but Tigerstar had one more duty to accomplish. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he yowled. ThunderClan collected under the rock, mewing to themselves. "I have returned from the Moonstone with my nine lives and my name," announced Tigerstar. "And now I must name my deputy." There was a moment of silence. "I say these words before StarClan so that their spirits may hear and approve my choice. Darkstripe will be the new deputy of ThunderClan." The dark tabby's eyes gleamed as he leaped up to stand beside his leader. "This is an honor I've never dreamed of," he meowed. Oh really now. "I promise to serve my Clan and follow my leader with every breath in my body." The rest of the Clan cheered at his empty words. Sandstorm awoke to cold morning light filtering through the branches of the warriors' den. She felt Dustpelt's warm presence in the nest next to hers and closed her eyes, savoring the place between waking and sleeping. Yesterday's long journey and Cinderpaw's tormented revelation felt lifetimes away. "Hey, Dustpelt," she mewed softly, gently prodding him with her paw. "Whuh?" mumbled Dustpelt, blinking sleep from his eyes. "You think we should go out to the training hollow today? Cinderpaw and Brackenpaw could use more battle training." The tom thought for a bit and nodded, then got up and stretched. "Just let me get something to eat first. I'm starving!" Sandstorm purred with laughter. As they walked out of camp and toward the sandy hollow, Cinderpaw seemed almost normal while Brackenpaw was quietly excited. The four cats leaped down the walls of the hollow and onto the snow-wet sand. "Okay," meowed Sandstorm, walking off to the side of the hollow with her apprentice, "run at me and try to unbalance me." With the words still hanging in the air, Cinderpaw barrelled into her mentor's legs and kicked at her underbelly, knocking the wind from her. "Nice," meowed Sandstorm, shaking sand off her fur. "Though I guess I shouldn't have expected you to wait a bit before you attacked me." "But you're always talking about how there's no time to wait during battle," replied Cinderpaw. "There's warriors coming at you from all sides, confusion and noise..." she trailed off. "C'mon Cinderpaw," mewed Sandstorm cheerily, trying to pull her apprentice out of her memories. "Let's try that again. Now, you could also try this..." A bitterly cold, windy day. The sun had barely peeked above the treetops before going down again. With the forest about to be left in shadows, Tigerstar leaped up on the Highrock and yowled the summons for a Clan meeting. Two kits sat at the foot of the rock- Brightkit and Thornkit. "These two kits have reached six moons," meowed Tigerstar, "and are ready to become apprentices. Step forward, you two." Thornkit was bouncing, while Brightkit was shaking and her eyes shone in the evening light. "Darkstripe, you have proven yourself to be a loyal and capable warrior," meowed Tigerstar. "You will be mentor to Thornpaw." As the new apprentice touched noses to his mentor, Sandstorm mewed quietly to Dustpelt, "Doesn't that seem a little unfair? I mean, he's already deputy, and there are plenty of other cats he could have picked." Dustpelt shrugged, while Cinderpaw just looked grim. "Whitestorm," continued the huge tabby leader, "no cat doubts your loyalty and skill. Pass on all you know to Brightpaw." The Clan cheered for the new apprentices, but there seemed to be no warmth in Tigerstar's eyes. Could he really be cruel enough to kill? Look out for the sequel, The Leader's Daughter Category:Fan Fictions Category:Ravenflight's Fanfictions